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use courage and bravery and be tough to vote against the views of the majority, that <br />Chapel Hill people are discriminatory or prejudiced to them." I'm still waiting to hear <br />mare facts from this group of people beyond the reason that the merger will help <br />increase real estate values, particularly in farmland value and taxation. Also, people <br />say, "they travel an hour to go to school." Why would you want the possibility of making <br />that trip any longer? Separate but unequal - no two schools are equal, never mind the <br />whole district. And again, they voted unequal -unequal against taxes for years, unlike <br />Chapel Hill which has been supporting the additional tax for years. Remember, our two <br />districts can work together to benefit all students without any merger. <br />Scott Wallen: I am representing the Chapel Hill-Carrboro PTA Council in place of our <br />President Etta Pisano, who is out of town today. In October, the PTA Council adopted a <br />position on the merger issue that we provided to the Commissioners. That position <br />opposes a merger at this time because we feel that a convincing case has not been <br />made that a merger is the best way to improve the quality of education for all students. <br />Based on that position, we oppose Commissioner Corey's proposal to hold a vote on a <br />merger early next year. <br />The Council's position also urges the Commissioners to pursue other avenues for <br />improving the quality of education. As such, we support the establishment of a task <br />force to study the educational needs of all students and to assess the strengths and <br />weaknesses of each school system at meeting those needs. This study should address <br />curriculum, staffing, and facility issues. In order to avoid misunderstandings over the <br />purpose of this task force, we believe that the Commissioners, in consultation with both <br />Boards of Education, should state explicitly which issues the task force should and <br />should not address. <br />The PTA Council position recognizes that there are legitimate concerns over how <br />education in Orange County is funded. As such, we support the analysis and possible <br />implementation of new funding mechanisms for the schools. <br />The Council's position also urges both Boards of Education to identify and implement <br />collaborative programs that will provide cost savings or improve the quality of services to <br />students. Ta this end, we support an effort by the Boards of Education to analyze <br />opportunities for cooperation and report back to the Commissioners. That said, we do <br />not support the implementation of any combined service unless both Boards of <br />Education agree that it is in the best interest of the children to be served. Thank you for <br />your consideration of our position. <br />Qin Zen: I'm a Chapel Hill resident. I have children going to Seawell Elementary <br />School. There are a lot of citizens talking about reasons why they appose merger, and I <br />don't want to repeat those reasons anymore. From reviewing the proposals from the <br />Commissioners, we favor Commissioner Cordon's proposal of supplemental tax and <br />facilitation of identifying potential areas for collaboration. Commissioner Brown and <br />Commissioner Jacobs proposals are acceptable to us. Far Commissioner Corey's <br />proposal, what I want to say is any proposal or vote on merger without further studies on <br />the impact on both school districts is premature. As a City parent, I just want to tell you <br />that I don't want my children to be redistricted to a school far away from our home. And I <br />don't want to pay any mare taxes because I'm not rich. Many families, including our <br />family, came to Chapel Hill for school excellence, and many of us also would not <br />hesitate to leave the County if we feel that our children's educational opportunities are <br />